Queen Latifah Honored With Icon Award At Revolt Music Conference

The Queen was honored by Revolt

Queen Latifah was honored with the Jimmy Iovine Icon Award at the Revolt Music Conference on Saturday (October 14). After a night of tributes from famous fans and friends, Latifah was presented with the award meant to honor hip-hop legends.

Tributes were presented by a who’s who of Latifah’s contemporaries. MC Lyte, Q-Tip, and Common all took a moment to address Latifah’s huge influence on the world of hip-hop. However, no night dedicated to Latifah would be complete without paying tribute to the fact that the hip-hop icon is a double threat.

On the acting side of her career, Jada Pinkett Smith and director Lee Daniels stepped up to discuss how great Latifah is.

Revolt chairman Andre Harrel was overwhelmed by the whole night. “I’m emotional tonight,” Harrell said. “I don’t do this but I’m so proud of you. Behind the scenes or in front, Dana the Queen gives 100 percent and never lets you forget that she’s just a girl from Newark.”

Diddy also took a moment to pay respect to Latifah as a representative of both Revolt and hip-hop more generally. “Queen Latifah is Revolt. She spoke her mind in music and wasn’t afraid to stand up for justice. She’s fearless,” he said.

Latifah complimented the award itself, which looks like a raised fist, before thanking all of the people who helped make her into who she is.

“This is a perfect award,” she said, starting off a speech that would send shout-outs to Fab 5 Freddy, Diddy and her own parents.

Latifah said her parents “taught me who I was and raised me to be a queen” before passing on some wisdom of her own. “Don’t put a padlock on your mind,” she said. “Dream big and believe you can make it happen.”

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A Guiding Light

Credit: New Line Cinema

Latifah has served as a paragon of great decision-making, business acumen and hip-hop culture from the beginning. The deeper you dig into her past, the more examples you find of the Queen being regal.

Just one example: the way she handled her brother’s death when she was just 22. Rather than allowing herself to be pulled down into a haze of drinks and drugs — which she briefly abused in the wake of his passing — she pulled herself out through faith.

“That loss, man I was rocked to the core,” she said when she sat down with Simple Grace magazine for an interview. “I felt guilty because I got angry at God. But you know, he loves me anyway, even though I’m no saint and I’m far from perfect.”

“Understanding that God never leaves us helped me realize my brother was in a better place. In life, you’ll go through ups and downs, but you will come back up eventually,” she continued.

Latifah says she learned to find God in the moment and that allowed her to fight off the pull of substances and darker ways to cope.

“The now is where God is, where you can feel his love the most. And knowing that, feeling love like that in your heart gives you comfort and peace to keep fighting the good fight,” she said.

What do you think?

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What do you think? Are you happy for Latifah? What’s your favorite Queen Latifah moment? Sound off in the comments and be sure to SHARE this article.